Latin America and the Caribbean: Regional Preparatory Process for Rio+20

Joseluis SamaniegoEconomic Commission for

Latin America and the Caribbean

UN headquarters New York, NYDecember 14, 2011

LAC Regional Preparatory Meeting

Interagency assessment of progress and gaps in the implementation of sustainable development since the Earth Summit in 1992

Submissions for the zero draft

LAC Regional Preparatory Meeting

ECLAC headquarters, Santiago, Chile September 7-9 2011 www.cepal.org/rio20

LAC Regional Preparatory Meeting 29 countries from the region UN System entities, Intergovernmental organisations Almost 100 representatives of Major Groups (civil

society, private sector) Conclusions available at www.cepal.org/rio20 Report forthcoming IISD summary report available at:

http://www.iisd.ca/download/pdf/enb2707e.pdf Proposals:

Colombia and Guatemala: Sustainable Development Goals Boliva: Rights of Nature Cuba: Institutional Framework

Issues highlighted Consensus on the need to change the model of

development Concerns on green economy (protectionism,

conditionality, values/principles) Need for active policies for a change in development

model Need for international cooperation, leadership from

developed countries Conceptual concerns vs. pragmatic approaches No mention of green economy in outcome document,

but consensus on need a for commitments to achieve (…) “change in patterns of production and consumption, in which the developed countries should play a leading global role”

Conclusions from the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting for Rio+20 The ministers and representatives of the

Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean and affirmed the need for commitments to achieve: A global institutional framework for sustainable

development which is efficient and flexible and ensures the effective integration of its three pillars

A change in patterns of production and consumption, in which developed countries should play a leading role

Full implementation of the right to access to environmental information, participation and justice enshrined in Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration

Better ways of measuring countries' wealth that adequately reflect the three pillars of sustainable development

Conclusions from the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting for Rio+20 (cont.)

They affirmed the need for commitments to achieve: The eradication of extreme poverty A new, additional, stable and predictable

financing for supporting implementation activities in developing countries

The fulfillment of mitigation and adaptation commitments in relation to climate change and the building of resilience to its impacts

Effective access to and transfer of safe and appropriate technologies

The promotion of a global intellectual property rights regime that facilitates the transfer of technologies

greater South‐South cooperation and exchange of successful experiences

Interagency assessment Prepared under the coordination of ECLAC in close

collaboration with 19 regional offices from various United Nations entities.

Progress and gaps Guidelines for action

Preliminary version presented at Regional Preparatory Meeting. Final version to be launched during 2012

The situation in the region today is quite different from that which existed in 1992

In 1992, the region was emerging from a "lost decade" of low growth, high inflation and restrictions on the balance of payments related to foreign borrowing.

Currently, despite the recent global economic crisis, the region is achieving nearly a decade of relatively high growth.

Mixed progress has been observed in the sustainability of developmentIndicator 1990 2000 2005 2010Population (thousands, at mid-year) 443 032 521 429 557 038 590 082

Urban population (thousands, at mid-year) 311 042 393 420 432 646 468 757

Poverty

- Proportion of total (percentages) 48,3 43,8 (1999) 34,1 (2007)

32,1

- Number of people (millions) 200 211 (1999)

184 (2007)

180

Human Development Index 0,614 0,66 0,681 0,704

Income distribution (Gini coefficient x 100) 53,8 (1989/92)

55 (2002)

52 (2006/09)

Population living in slum dwellings - Proportion of total (percentages) 33,7 29,2 25,5 23,5 - Number of people (millions) 106,7 115,2 110,1 110,8Population without access to energy

- Proportion of total (percentages) 17,8 13,4 7,8 6,4 (2009)

- Number of people (millions) 76 41 43 39 (2009)

Mixed progress has been observed in the sustainability of development

Indicator 1990 2000 2005 2010

Surface area with forest cover (percentages) 51,9 49,4 48,2 47,2

Proportion of protected land areas (percentages) 10,5 16,2 20,3 20,8 (2009)

Supply of renewable energy (percentages) 25 21,5 22,2 23,2 (2009)

Energy intensity of GDP (total energy consumption — in thousands of barrels of oil equivalent— per million dollars of GDP at constant 2000 prices)

1,6 1,53 1,5 1,45 (2009)

Intensity of CO2 emissions (tons per 1,000 dollars of GDP at constant 2000 prices)

0,67 0,63 0,61 0,59 (2007)

CO2 emissions per inhabitant (tons of CO2 per inhabitant, from the burning of fossil fuels and cement production)

2,4 2,6 2,7 2,8 (2007)

Intensity of fertilizer use (tons per 1,000 hectares of farmland)

11,6 17,3 21,3 23,3 (2008)

Consumption of ozone-layer-depleting substances (thousands of tons of ozone-depletion potential)

74,6 31,1 14,5 5,3 (2009)

Inequality has slightly diminished over the last 20 years

Between 1990 and 2009, the Gini coefficient is a measure of the inequality of income distribution, showed an improvement, from 0.538 to 0.520. However, this progress is relative, as the region still remains the most imbalanced in the world.

The past five years have seen significant progress in the control of deforestation

This progress can be seen especially in the Amazon. However, the annual rate of forest loss between 2000 and 2010 was 0.46%, more than three times the global annual rate (0.13%).

Forest area (thousand of hectares) Annual rate of change1990 2000 2005 2010 1990-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010

Thousands of hectares/ y ear

%

Thousands

of hectares/ y ear

%

Thousands of hectares/ y ear

%

Caribbean 5902 6434 6728 6933 53 0,87 59 0,90 41 0,60

Central America 25717 21980 20745 19499 -374 -1,56 -247 -1,15 -249 -1,23

Mexico 70291 66751 65578 64802 -354 -0,52 -235 -0,35 -155 -0,24

South America 946454 904322 882258 864351 -4213 -0,45 -4413 -0,49 -3581 -0,41

World416839

9 4085168 4060964 4033060 -8323 -0,20 -4841 -0,12 -5581 -0,14

Percentage of global forest area

25% 24% 24% 24%            

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: FOREST AREA AND ANNUAL RATES OF CHANGE 1990–2010, AND PERCENTAGE OF GLOBAL FOREST AREA (FAO data)

Regional emissions of ozone-depleting substances have declined steadily over the last 20 years

This reflects successful efforts made under the Montreal Protocol

0

10 000

20 000

30 000

40 000

50 000

60 000

70 000

80 000

1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: CONSUMPTION OF OZONE-DEPLETINGSUBSTANCES, 1990–2009

(Ozone-depleting potential (ODP) tons)

Source: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), on the basis of United Nations Millennium Development Goals indicators database based on figures from the Ozone Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) [online] http://ozone.unep.org/Data_Reporting/Data_Access/ [date of reference: May 2011].

International cooperation and improvements in the terms of international trade are not sufficient

In 2010, ODA provided by developed countries amounted to 0.32% of their GNI, less than half of the percentage target agreed upon.

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

DAC countries G7 countries

ODA target ratified in Monterrey: 0.7% of GNI

Monterrey Conference

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTED BY COUNTRIES OF THEDEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE, 1990-2008(Percentages of gross national income of donor countries)

Source: United Nations, Achieving the Millennium Development Goals with Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean: progress and challenges (LC/G.2460), Santiago, Chile, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), 2010.

Strengthening the environmental pillar Since 1992, environmental legislation has

strengthened and institutions dedicated to the environment have been created.

Sustainable development has been established as a concept in public institutions and policy.

There is still a lack of coordination and consistency in public-sector decision-making and policies. The absence of linkages between social, economic and environmental policies restrains progress on sustainability.

Strategic Guidelines for Sustainable Development A. Align policies on social protection,

human security, quality of life with environmentally sound economic activities

B. Increase the visibility of environmental and social costs of economic decisions

C. Develop better policies on a more informed, participatory basis

D. Building human and social capital for sustainability by strengthening education, science and technology

Submissions for zero draft

19 submissions from countries in the region Other organisations including ECLAC, Caricom

ECLAC’s assessment of the main barriers to implementation (contained in submission to zero draft) (i) failures in making the social and economic costs of

environmental degradation visible and in establishing mechanisms for their internalization (as per Principle 16 of the Rio Declaration);

(ii) insufficient mainstreaming of sustainable development as a driving force in public policies and failures in coordinating and ensuring coherence between policy areas, nationally and internationally;

(iii) insufficient channels for public participation in decision making and for the effectiveness of access to justice and to information;

(iv) difficulties in spurring endogenous technologic development in key productive sectors, in addition to the existence of barriers in access to technology

(v) difficulties in financing.

ECLAC’s proposals (contained in submission to zero draft) Rio+20 is an opportunity for countries to agree on schedules and

timelines for: Developing and mainstreaming the use of indicators of economic

performance and accounting methods that take account of the environment and of the cost of environmental degradation, such as systems of integrated economic and environmental accounting.

Eliminating direct and indirect subsidies for activities that generate significant environmental or health costs, implementing transition schemes that protect the poor and other groups in vulnerable situations, and implementing fiscal and industrial policies to stimulate sustainable development;

Implementing fiscal or economic instruments to reduce environmental and health costs and to foster environmentally friendly consumer and producer preferences;

Incorporating environmental and health considerations into methodologies for analyzing public and private investment options, including the investments supported by global and regional financial development institutions;

Mainstreaming the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment for public investment and policy.

ECLAC’s proposals (contained in submission to zero draft) Rio+20 is an opportunity to issue mandates for negotiating

the adoption of: Agreed and measurable sustainable development goals and

targets. Implementing changes in international governance in order to

gain coherence at the international level (between organizations focusing on different issues and among international agreements) as well as to enable the negotiation of new international agreements where necessary. One possibility for enhancing coordination and coherence at the international level is to revise the role and functioning of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), establishing sustainability as a guiding concept for its decisions.

Strengthen the development pillar of the United Nations International agreements (at the global or regional level) to

promote the enactment of legislation pertaining to Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration and its implementation, to be possibly, but not necessarily, based on the Aarhus Convention.

Global tax on international financial transactions

Common themes in regional submissions

Lack of definition of Green Economy Public Participation Sustainable Consumption and Production Common but differentiated responsibilities Concerns with Protectionism Technology transfer Financing – ODA commitments not met

References to Green Economy in submissions by LAC countries

References to Green Economy in submissions by LAC countries